Flagship (Captain’s Crucible)
Isaac Hooke
Quick View: A Unique and Interesting Story Of Discovery and Survival.
Publisher’s summary: Captain Jonathan Dallas, commodore of Battle Unit 72, investigates the disappearance of a military research vessel on the fringes of known space.
When the unit is ambushed by a threat that endangers not only the fleet but also all of humanity itself, Jonathan must somehow find the resources to fight back.
Cut off from Central Command and faced with impossible odds, can Jonathan overcome his demons to save humanity and, more importantly, can he save himself?
Flagship: where captains are made. Or broken.
Full Review: FlagShip starts with a look at a pivotal moment in Captain Jonathan Dallas’ past, and that had me checking to see if I picked a book about space travel or mountain climbing.
Thankfully, not to much later into the book we find our good Captain on the bridge doing what he does best, commanding a starship in space.
However, things begin to unravel pretty quickly in his part of the fleet. First one of his ships goes missing, and then a drone sent to find it goes missing as well.
Unlike so many other captains, Jonathan doesn’t take anything for granted and mobilizes his task force to find his wayward ship.
What follows is a compelling story of discovery, survival, galactic history, and fleet politics which kept me glued to this book right up to the end.
One thing I really liked about this book was how strong the Captain and his XO were, how cheeky the (non-sentient) shipboard A.I. was, and many of the other characters were memorable as well.
I also enjoyed the unique technology found in this story. From the ships, to their weapons and FTL capabilities, to the fighters and combat robots.
Throw in some very unique aliens and their tech, fleet politics, and getting stuck behind enemy lines, and you have all the ingredients for a gripping action packed tale of space exploration and combat.
So if you don’t mind a few minor pauses as the main characters deal with some pretty deep questions, I think you’ll find FlagShip an interesting action packed ride, one which I heartily recommend.
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